Charleston Runs Group Marathon Training for Fall 2017/Winter 2018 races will kickoff on July 1, 2017. Stay in touch with us about all of our upcoming training programs by signing up for our email list on our contact page.

Your Marathon and Half-Marathon Training

Charleston Runs training is always personal. That’s why we can offer to let you begin at different points. Coach Greg wants to know you as a runner and a person and wants to match your goals, fitness level, and lifestyle to your training program. Every runner in the program follows a very similar program but it is truly customized for your ability, goals, experience, and your life. Training for the Marathon is $190 and the half-marathon plan is $150.

What Can I Expect if I Enroll?

A monthly training plan that continues until 2 weeks after your goal race.

18 week plan for marathons

14 week plan for half-marathons

Unlimited email support

Supported Saturday group runs beginning July 1 and continuing until December 2. This means there will be a non-runner driving the route and checking on your progress. The driver carries water and a cooler. Coach Greg will be either driving the route or running or racing with the group every Saturday.

Sometimes it’s hard to go outside and run

Sometimes your bed is so inviting and you’ve had a tough week at work. So, you decide to sleep in and set aside that Saturday morning run. You’ll do it on Sunday morning. Then you remembered you promised your kids that you could make pancakes before church or you were going to meet your friends for brunch and getting up early on Sunday just isn’t going to work for you. Before you know it, you’ve let your running slip for a couple of weeks.

There is a way out of the rut. First, don’t be so hard on yourself. If you were lacking motivation, you might need to back off a bit. Running shouldn’t be stressful. Whereas it’s not always fun, you should make you wig out!

Follow this simple outline to get back in the groove.

Pick a day for your next run. Decide NOW that you will run on that day, at that time. Rain, wind, cold, heat, alligators - nothing will keep you from getting outside. Decide now - I will run.

Lay out your clothes. The night before your run, get out your clothes, shoes, socks, watch, and anything else you’ll need for your run. Don’t leave it to the last minute. If you need to prepare something to eat, do that now, too.

Set your alarm. No excuses.

Get up. No snooze button today.

Run. Please don’t forget to get dressed first. There was a reason why you laid out your clothes.

In other words - make a plan. Execute the plan. Write it down. Put it on the refrigerator.

We’ll resume group runs this Saturday, May 17. There is no cost to join us and all are welcome.

We begin at 7 am at St. Andrew’s Church in the Old Village of Mt Pleasant. Our routes will vary between 6 and 10 miles each week. If you’re a beginner and want to run less than that, just see Coach Greg when you get there we’ll set you up. Remember, nobody gets left out on the course by themselves on our runs so if you have a friend who is new to running, please bring them along. The group runs are not supported meaning you are responsible for your own fluids and nutrition.

We begin at 7 am at St. Andrew’s Church in the Old Village of Mt Pleasant. We’ll have maps for four and six mile routes. If you’re a beginner and want to run less than that, just see Coach Greg when you get there we’ll set you up. Remember, nobody gets left beyond on our runs so if you have a friend who is new to running, please bring them along.

Upcoming Group Run Dates

All of the group runs will begin on Saturdays at 7 am at St. Andrew’s unless otherwise indicated.

April 27

May 4 - No group run on this date as several Charleston Runs athletes will be competing individually and as relays in the Wambaw Swamp Stomp.

May 11

May 18

May 25

June 2

June 8 - Starts from Alhambra Hall in the Old Village at 7 am and will be led by Coach Noah Moore. (MooreOnRunning.com).

June 15 - There no group run this day. Several Charleston Runs athletes will be competing in a stage race in Chattanooga.

June 22

June 29

Are You New to Running?

If you are new to running or have never run before and want to get started, you might consider Coach Noah’s Couch to 5K program. He has a new program beginning on Sunday, May 5.

Here at Charleston Runs, we are in the middle of our marathon training season. Our first runner ran the Oregon Wine Country Half-Marathon on September 1 and we’ll finish with the Charleston Marathon in January. We put in a lot of miles. On the road.

This Saturday, we will all be out at the Francis Marion Dirt Dash, three races that take place on logging roads in the Francis Marion National Forest. All of our marathoners are running the Half-Marathon but we also have runners in the 5K and 12K. Most of our runners will use this as an opportunity to practice their race day routine - clothes, pre-race routine, shoes, fuel, hydration - and will use it as an opportunity to measure their fitness. Others are a bit beat up and need a break from the routine. They’ll still practice their race day routine but will run this more as a training run.

The race director, Chad Haffa, started the race in 2010. He’s a local firefighter who had been recently introduced to running in the woods. Out of that love for running on trails, he created the Francis Marion Dirt Dash and later, Eagle Endurance, a small race company that puts on races in the booger woods.

Chad’s enthusiasm and passion for the sport is infectious. I am connected to a lot of races and he is the only race director who continually solicits feedback from runners and adjusts things accordingly. He’s smart enough to know that he doesn’t know it all and that the sport, along with the expectations of runners, are continually evolving.

Race Registration

Online registration for the race is closed but you can still register at packet pick-up at TrySports (1903 Hwy 17, Mt Pleasant) on Thursday, Sept 6, noon-7 pm, and Friday, Sept. 7, noon-6 pm.

Runner Up - Carolina Children’s Charity 8000

Our runner up this month is the Carolina Children’s Charity 8000 Meter run. The CCC 8000 Meter benefits MUSC Children’s Hospital. They have great volunteers, most of who have children who have benefited from the services of the hospital. We like it because of the story they tell and that it’s an 8K in Hanahan - there aren’t a lot of races in Hanahan and there’s not a lot of 8K’s.

Tell us about your favorite races.

(The Charleston Running Club feeds our blog into their Facebook page and the opinions expressed here are only the opinions of two guys who love to run and inspire others to run. An endorsement here does not imply an endorsement by the Charleston Running Club, but it should.)

We’re running a 10-mile loop around Mt. Pleasant this Saturday, June 23. We’ll gather at St. Andrew’s Church at 5:45 am for a 6 am start. Anybody is welcome to join us. Over the last six weeks, paces ranged from 7:30 min/mile to over 12 min/mile. If you want to run a shorter distance, simply do an out and back - there’s no shortcuts back to the start for this route.

Don’t forget that our Marathon and Half-Marathon Training Group kicks off on July 7. Click on the link above for more information. You can get started today if you need to and you can jump into the group at any time.

This is one of the most common questions we’re asked and the answer is highly individual but there are some indicators of the need to purchase new shows.

Most of the running literature advises a runner to get new shoes when they have between 300 and 500 miles on the shoes. That’s a pretty broad guideline. I have a friend who is putting on over 100 miles each week. That’s new shoes every 3-5 weeks. Right now, I’m running about 30 miles/week and that maxes me out at about 16 weeks. At $100 or more for a pair of shoes, I would need to redo my budget if I bought them more often which I will do as I prepare for a fall marathon.

In addition to mileage, you can also look on the wear on your shoes. If they are worn smooth in areas, replace the shoes. However, the lack of wear on the sole is not an indication that your shoes don’t need to be replaced.

The cushioning - the midsole - that is between the sole and the foot is what usually is worn out first. On many shoes, the midsole is made EVA , which has excellent stress and impact resistance properties. It is filled with thousands of air bubbles but as EVA polymer breaks down, the bubbles collapse and the shoe no longer has adequate cushioning. For me, I know it when my feet start to hurt consistently when running and it usually happens between 12 and 16 weeks of using the shoes.

What Shoes Should You Buy?

That’s a question I can’t answer for you. Every runner is different and should be professionally fitted for the proper shoes. One of the things I’ve heard folks say is, “I can only run in Nike’s” or “I can only run in an Asics Gel Foundation 8″. By sticking by those kinds of statements, you’ve not only limited yourself, but you could actually cause yourself some frustration or harm. Every shoe is built on a form called a “last” and as long as the last hasn’t changed from year to year, you can usually continue to buy the same model with virtually no issues with fit. Shoe companies do change their lasts and when they do, they don’t always change the name of the model shoe. A more important question is:

Where Should You Buy Those Shoes?

A specialty running store. Included in this would be triathlon outfitters and other shoe stores staffed by runners.

The running store knows runners. The owners and employees have probably already put a few miles on their own shoes before they came to work. They understand training - they speak your language. They get visits from factory reps who provide information and education on their product lines. The store has a better quality selection than the big box sporting goods stores. Bottom line - They’re passionate about what they do and they want to share that passion. That’s why they’re in the business.

Where Do You Shop?

I shop at On the Run in Mt Pleasant. Irv Batten, the owner, has become a trusted friend and is full of information about running, coaching, and local running history and running lore.

Coach Noah shops at TrySports in Mt Pleasant. They have a friendly, knowledgeable crew who are also passionate about their sport. Personally, I’m not sure if I would even be a runner if it wasn’t for Jim Kirwan, the owner, who always has encouraging word every time he sees me out running. That attitude has been passed on to his employees.

We also have friends who are fans of The Foot Store. They seem to carry shoes that others are not carrying and they freely share information on running via their Facebook page.

We’re running this Saturday, June 9. We’ll meet at 5:45 am for a 6 am start at St. Andrew’s Church in the Old Village of Mt Pleasant. The planned route is 6 miles and will take us in a loop through the Old Village and will include the Pitt Street Bridge. Everybody is welcome - we usually have a range of paces and many end up doing less mileage. Sign up for our newsletter to keep track of when we’re meeting over the next few weeks.

For those that have run with us before, please note that this not a supported run. You will need to carry your own water or obtain it while out running. There are water fountains on the Pitt Street Bridge.

Wait a minute. The Bridge Run is in April, right? Yes. Yes, it is but we’re running the Cooper River Bridge this Saturday (June 2) and we’ll run it in our Marathon Training Group every 3-4 weeks as well.

There’s an adage in training that you can’t build speed until you build strength and you can’t build strength until you build endurance. One of the best ways to build strength is by running hills and we don’t have hills in Mt Pleasant and Charleston where we train. (I’ll write more in an upcoming post about some workouts specific to the Cooper River Bridge.)

As always, we’ll start at St. Andrew’s Church (map). The group will gather at 5:45 am for a 6:00 am start. A map is below. Some of us will run 10 miles from the church to the South Carolina Aquarium. On an out and back route, it’s really easy to adjust things for the distance you want to run . If you want to go 4 miles, turn around when you look down and see water. Six mile turnaround is when you reach Drum Island and the eight mile turn around is when you get all the way over the bridge.